This invention relates to reforming of hydrocarbons with steam and/or carbon dioxide and in particular to an apparatus and process for carrying it out.
In our published European application 21736 we describe a process for producing a gas containing hydrogen which comprises reacting in the gaseous phase a hydrocarbon, hydrocarbon derivative or carbon monoxide with steam and/or, where appropriate, carbon dioxide, in the presence of a catalyst supported on a metal or alloy resistant to the conditions in which the reaction is carried out; and more particularly a process for producing a gas containing hydrogen which comprises reacting in the gaseous phase a hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon derivative with steam and/or carbon dioxide, in the presence of a catalyst with a catalyst outlet temperature such that the product gas contains at least 30% v/v of hydrogen on a dry basis, in which the catalyst units comprise a support and at least one active metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and the platinum group metals, characterised in that the catalyst support comprises a primary support made of a metal or alloy resistant to the conditions in which the reaction is carried out and a secondary support which is a layer of a refractory oxidic material adhering to the surface of the metal or alloy.